Presented by the Hawai'i Association of Independent Schools with generous support from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation
Essentials for Quality Early Learning: Play, Parents & Place
Time: 8:30 AM - 1:40 PM (Arrival: 8:00-8:30 AM)
Cost: $20 (Snacks, Beverages, and Lunch Included)
Dates and Location:
November 23 - Oahu, Mid-Pacific Institute
January 18 - Maui, Montessori School of Maui
February 8 - Hawai'i Island, Kamehameha Schools
February 29 - Kauai, Island School
Essentials For Quality Early Learning: Play, Parents, and Place
Exploring the importance of Play, Family Engagement and Classroom Environments in early childhood development. The day will be led by 3 Hawai‘i-based early childhood learning experts, each offering a breakout session that will explore one of the topics. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of the role of each of these themes in early childhood development and will leave with tools that can be implemented in their own classrooms.
Workshop Flyer
Session Descriptions
Play: Let’s Play Together!
Presented By: Maile Ostrem
Bring out your playful side during this fast-paced look at how play needs to be at the center of your planning and daily lives with your students and other faculty/staff members both in and out of your classrooms. Be ready to participate and come away with ideas to integrate all aspects of your professional and personal lives!
Parents: Families as Learners!
Presented By: Donna Reid-Hayes
How can we help families better understand their child’s journey through the early years of learning in school? How can we develop the relationships we need in order to support each child’s learning and navigate more difficult conversations with families? Building relationships is key to our work with both children and adults. Be ready to take on the role of parent as learner in order to develop empathy for those you partner with each year. We will talk, read aloud, share videos, and create art together in order to better understand how we might encourage families to grow and learn alongside their children.
Place: Environments That Inspire 21st Century Thinking
Presented By: Leslie Gleim or Robynne Migita
How do we foster learning environments that facilitate 21st century thinking? How do we seed our early childhood environments in supporting critical thinking, creativity, problem-solving, communication, collaboration, global awareness, and social responsibility? This session looks at how classroom environments play an important role in learning. The early childhood schools of Reggio Emilia consider the environment as the “third teacher.” What might this look like and how can we re-envision our own teaching environments? We will look at these important questions in thinking about the importance of the learning environment for our early learners. Bring digital photos of your classroom environment.
These workshops are intended for Preschool-3rd grade teachers. Certificates will be issued towards DHS training requirements.